Monthly Archives: February 2023

Life section

Goliath (Adilkhan Yerzhanov) Kazakhstan

Goliath
Adilkhan Yerzhanov
Kazakhstan. 2022. 92 min

The Kazakh village Karatas has long been subjugated by a criminal boss called Poshaev. He provides housing and jobs for the locals but will ruthlessly execute anyone who dares to oppose him. This is the lesson the pauper Arzu is about to learn first-hand – his wife Karina has informed the police about the crimes that are taking place there. Arzu is a cripple; now he has to raise his little daughter alone. He is so helpless and grief-stricken that he doesn’t even seem to be contemplating revenge. Poshaev takes him under his wing and offers him the position of a guard at a building site. Soon Arzu has a chance to prove his loyalty, and he becomes Poshaev’s right hand. But where do Arzu’s real loyalties lie – with his boss or with the idea of justice?

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- Official Section -

Little Tornadoes (Aaron Wilson) Australia. Official Section

Little Tornadoes
Aaron Wilson
Australia. 2022. 90 min

A newly-single father struggles to weather the turbulence of change, while a new immigrant endeavours to find her place in a foreign land.

Set in 1971 rural Australia, Introverted Leo is a metalworker at his small town’s local plant. After his wife vanishes, leaving him to care for their two young children, he is bereft – barely able to cook a decent meal or keep the household running. So when a recently-arrived Italian colleague suggests that his sister, Maria, act as surrogate homemaker, Leo reluctantly accepts. But can one woman’s warm, nurturing presence fill the void left by another, and can Leo yield to the winds of change?

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Documentary Section, Women,s voices

Laughing in Afghanistan (Anneta Papathanassiou) Greece

Laughing in Afghanistan
Anneta Papathanassiou
Greece. 2022. 90 min

Karim Asir, the Afghan Charlie Chaplin, wants to change the world using pantomime and humor. Amidst bombs and destruction, laughter is his only weapon. After the Taliban takeover Karim receives death threats and fears for his life. A difficult decision seems unavoidable. Can laughter change the world?

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Women,s voices

Roots in the Wind (Soraya Akhlaqi) Afghanistan

Roots in the Wind
Soraya Akhlaqi
Afghanistan. 2022. 26 min

In 1979, after the Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan, millions of Afghans were forced to leave their homeland to save their lives, and in the meantime, a huge wave of them immigrated to Iran.
Now, after 4 decades of living in Iran, their second and third generations have been born. They have not seen their motherland and have not had the experience of living there; On the other hand, they are not accepted as citizens in Iran. This suspension has placed them in a diasporic situation.
During these years, the Iranian government has made many restrictions on their access to facilities and services. Prohibition and legal restrictions in choosing residence, travel, job, marriage ban with Iranians, not having the right to have ownership documents and deprivation of a large part of food, health and education subsidies have formed a set of laws that emphasize on their temporary nature and not belonging to the geography of Iran.

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Short Films Section, Women,s voices

On Xerxes Throne (Evi Kalogiropoulou) Greece

On Xerxes Throne
Evi Kalogiropoulou
Greece. 2022. 16 min

A dystopian workplace at the Perama shipyard. A ban on physical contact has turned human interaction into otherworldly simulations. The suppression of touch has alienated the workers communication transforming the boatyard into a charged landscape of alienation and repressed sensuality beyond stereotypical heteronormative desires. According to local legend, the Persian King Xerxes watched the overwhelming defeat of his fleet from his throne on the rocky peaks of Mount Egaleo, in today’s Perama.

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Short Films Section, Women,s voices

Tria (Giulia Grandinetti) Italy

Tria
Giulia Grandinetti
Italy. 2022. 17 min

In a dystopian Rome, a law is enforced which doesn’t allow immigrant families to have more than three children. If a fourth is to be expected, he or she must be born, however, one of them must then be killed, giving the females priority for sacrifice. Zoe, Iris and Clio are three sisters, but one of them will soon be killed…

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Short Films Section

Yet Another Winter (Kiran Shrestha) Nepal

Yet Another Winter
Kiran Shrestha
Nepal. 2021. 22 min

Hoping her deaf daughter RADHA(5) might be able to hear and speak, YASODHA (25) her faithful mother visits the Shaman in the nearby village. As per ritual, Shaman tells Yasodha to go to the temple located in the heart of the capital city. Following her faith, Yasodha tries to convince her husband and even her neighboring sister but they refuse to accompany her. Hence, she leaves towards the city along with her daughter.
Upon reaching the temple, Yasodha learns about another Mata Temple where she has to lock her daughter until she utters a word. Yasodha follows the ritual and locks Radha inside the temple eagerly waiting for her to speak.

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